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Thursday, January 2, 2014

Hope everyone is having a fabulous New Year! I've started 2014 with a cold, which is kind of a bummer, but I'm still determined to get back on a reliable blogging schedule. It's one of my resolutions for the year, so don't hesitate to keep me honest.
If you asked me to list my favorite makeup brands, Tarte would easily come in somewhere in the top 3.

That's why it's always pretty much a done deal that I'm going to order a Tarte Today's Special Value (TSV) from QVC when they appear.

When the TSV contains a slew of new products, then I'm a total goner.

The Tarte Shades of Clay Amazonian Colored Clay 7-Piece TSV that will air on QVC on February 4th is chock full of new goodies and some old favorites, so I had to give it a try.

The kit contains:

Tarte Colored Clay CC Primer

Tarte Amazonian Colored Clay Liquid Foundation

Tarte Amazonian Colored Clay Bronzer Blush in Pink Bronze

Tarte Amazonian Colored Clay Eyeliner in Black

Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes 4-in-1 Mascara

Tarte LipSurgence Lip Gloss in True Love

Tarte Bamboo Foundation Brush

You also get a nice big, hot pink makeup bag to hold all your items.

Tarte Colored Clay CC Primer

I'm a big fan of the Tarte BB Tinted Treatment Primer, which came out earlier this year, and the new Colored Clay CC Primer is a similiar concept in that it's also a tinted primer.

However, it's a very different product that the BB Tinted Primer.

First of all, it comes in solid stick form, like a stick foundation, and it contains lavender and green sections to help neutralize discolorations and brighten your complexion.

Tarte Colored Clay CC Primer in Fair

I'm not sure how I feel about this product just yet -- it may be a case where you're just getting a whole lot of gimmick and not much substance. It applies well enough and blends into the skin easily, but I haven't noticed any real color-correcting help.

And maybe it's just me, but I'm used to my primer being a thinner, more liquid-y consistency so this is a little weird for me. I'm going to keep playing with it, though, and see if I can find a way to make it work for me. I'll keep you posted.

I should also point out that the Fair shade in the primer has a slightly orange-y tint. It doesn't really show up once it's blended in, but it was definitely a little disconcerting the first time I applied it to my face.

Tarte Colored Clay CC Primer in Fair

On the other hand, the Amazonian Colored Clay Liquid Foundation is a little gimmicky too, but I'm really enjoying it.

It's an odd presentation for a liquid foundation, but surprisingly, it works.

I also love the design of the cap -- the wooden look with shades of blue and amber running through is really pretty.

The foundation itself is extremely thin and liquid-y, so it melts into the skin and looks incredibly natural. Tarte says that it offers full coverage, but I would classify it as medium buildable coverage.

The finish isn't matte or dewy, though -- I would say satin, maybe. It just looks really natural, like real skin actually.

It cooperates nicely with my winter dry skin, but I think it would work for a wide range of skin types -- as long as you're not super dry or super oily.

The Fair shade is a good match for my super pale skin too.

Tarte Amazonian Colored Clay Liquid Foundation in Fair

Edited to add: If you're curious about howthe Amazonian Colored Clay Fair shade stacks up against Tarte's other Fair foundation shades, here's a photo comparing it with the Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Foundation and the Maracuja Miracle Foundation.

(I apologize for the poor lighting -- we're about to get him with a major snowstorm here in the Northeast, so it's seriously dark here already.)

From l. to r.: Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Foundation in Fair, Amazonian Colored Clay Foundation in Fair, and Maracuja Mrracle Foundation in Fair.

To me, the Amazonian Colored Clay Fair falls right between the other two Fairs. It also appears fairly neutral to my eyes, particulary when compared with the Maracuja Miracle Fair shade, which seems to lean very peachy to me.

I've applied the Amazonian Colored Clay Foundation with the bamboo foundation brush, which is angled slightly, that comes with the kit, which is nice and soft, as well as some of my other foundation brushes, my fingers, and my Beauty Blender, and it works equally well with all of them.

Tarte Bamboo Foundation Brush

The Amazonian Colored Clay Bronzer Blush in Pink Bronze is another new product, and it combines bronzer and blush shades in one pressed product. It features pink, berry, mauve, tan and bronze shades, so when you swirl your brush across the entire blush, you can a really pretty bronze-y pink flush on the cheeks.

I always find that mixing some bronze into your blush gives it a more natural, sun-kissed look, so I really like the effect that it gives.

It's not a particularly dark shade, though, so I'm not sure how well it would show up on dark skin tones.The Amazonian Colored Clay Eyeliner and Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara are old favorites that always perform well.

I find the Amazonian Clay eyeliners last a good long while without smearing or streaking, and the black is a classic shade that always works.

Tarte Amazonian Colored Clay Eyeliner in Black

Tarte Amazonian Colored Clay Eyeliner in Black

The Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara is one of my favorite mascaras of all-time -- it lengthens, volumizes and separates so you get really pretty full lashes. I can never have too many tubes of this stuff.

Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara

Tarte doesn't seem to be promoting the LipSurgence Lip Gloss as a new product, but as far as I know, this is the first gloss product in the LipSurgence line.

True Love is a pretty pinky-red shade. It's not super opaque, but you can wear it on its own and get plenty of color.

Tarte LipSurgence Lip Gloss in True Love

Tarte LipSurgence Lip Gloss in True Love

It's not super sticky either, but it has a thicker consistency so it stays on the lips better than most glosses.

For those interested, it has a vanilla-y scent similiar to M.A.C.'s lip products.

The makeup bag that comes with the kit is a generous size, which makes it ideal for travel. It's also made from a vinyl-type material so it seems like it would be easy to wash.

On February 4th, the kit will retail for $59.96, which is a terrific price for 6 products. You can also sign up for auto-delivery, and receive two additional kits in August 2014 and February 2015 with new seasonal colors for the non-face products.

3 comments:

I have been staring at this kit since I first saw a picture of it. I was hesitant because I was hearing that the foundation shade runs slightly dark, so I wasn't sure if it would match me. How would you compare the fair shade with the Amazonian Clay Foundation and the Maracuja Foundation?

It seems to fall right between them -- it's slightly darker than the Amazonian Clay in Fair, but lighter than the Maracuja Foundation in Fair. As much as I love Tarte, I wish their foundation shades were universal across all the formulas. The Amazonian Clay Fair is my absolute perfect match, but that formula isn't always the best fit for my skin type so it's frustrating.

You know what? I'll swatch all three and add the photo to the post. It'll be helpful for all us fair-skinned folk. :)